Dave,
I'm already seeing a lot of almost duplicate pictures of plants in the database.

I know you've left it up to everyone's discretion as to whether or not they submit a picture they feel is better than one that's already been entered. But, quite a few of the "first" posters seem to be posting multiples of the same picture, with only very slight differences between them (a left shot, a right shot, a long shot, a close-up), and it's all the same pic!

My concern is that the database will eventually be flooded with duplicate pictures we will have to wade through to get to a really great representation of the plant.

I know which recent one you may be referring to and right now I don't want to discourage the poster as they haven't posted many images yet. Later, as we go through some of the entries, we may delete a few here and there.

Unless there are way too many, I think multiple shots of the same plant can be good. Close-up shots, distance shots, blossoms, whole plants. I especially like entire plants and like to see them in multiple gardener's settings.

I hear what ya'll are saying, and I'm loving all the photos. It's not any one person in particular. Some of the multiple "looking" pics have been there, been accepted, and probably gone on into the file.

I'm sure there'll be some culling down the line. I just don't want a great shot to be missed because the database is flooded with duplicates that already were input...

Not a problem at all!

One thing I especially love about digital picture taking is the delete key. I love to snap multiple shots in my own garden. At the end of a veggie theme, I review each pic before I name it, selecting to keep only the very best one (no more than two) of each. That way, I don't flood my memory card. And, when I have to upload a pic in a hurry, I know it's the very best pic I have to offer!

K,
The only reason I'm organized on my cellphone data card (one of the FEW areas that is truly semi-organized) is because, after I dropped the phone in the toilet once and grabbed it before it hit the bottom, I learned the value of backing up my over 2500 pics on a regular basis. I immediately retrieved the memory card and dried it out. The phone itself was toast, as all the circuitry got fried....

I learned to cull the useless pics to save the space on my memory chip.

And, I learned to secure the cellphone BEFORE I sit down on a toilet... Fortunately, I had NOT sat down before the phone took a dip!

When I submit a photo of a plant, I don't always consider the picture I'm submitting to be better than ones already submitted, but I submit it so that there's one in the database that represents my area. When looking at photos of plants in the base that I'm comsidering buying, I don't look for the best looking photo, but the one that is from an area closest to my own in growing conditions.

WHen it comes to some plants like sempervivum, I'm submitting multiple pictures - from different times of the year. Some will look very different, and some will look the same, but some semp collectors will appreciate the information on how individual varieties change (or don't change) throughout the year.

When I submit a photo of a plant, I don't always consider the picture I'm submitting to be better than ones already submitted, but I submit it so that there's one in the database that represents my area. When looking at photos of plants in the base that I'm comsidering buying, I don't look for the best looking photo, but the one that is from an area closest to my own in growing conditions.

WHen it comes to some plants like sempervivum, I'm submitting multiple pictures - from different times of the year. Some will look very different, and some will look the same, but some semp collectors will appreciate the information on how individual varieties change (or don't change) throughout the year.

For us sempervivum collectors it is very helpful to see photos from different parts of the country and world. It lets us see what the plant looks like in different growing conditions.

I agree that multiple (but not duplicate) images are important for this DB. A plant that blooms or shows beautiful fall leaf colors in my part of the world in mid-September may not elsewhere. When someone is interested in a plant they'd like to know what it could look like for them, in their growing area.
Filling in a bit of information in all of the fields should help interested individuals to be directed right to the image/information that they're looking for.
The thumbsup feature should ensure that the members' consensus as a group will control which images should show first from the data field.

When I submit a photo of a plant, I don't always consider the picture I'm submitting to be better than ones already submitted, but I submit it so that there's one in the database that represents my area. When looking at photos of plants in the base that I'm comsidering buying, I don't look for the best looking photo, but the one that is from an area closest to my own in growing conditions.

WHen it comes to some plants like sempervivum, I'm submitting multiple pictures - from different times of the year. Some will look very different, and some will look the same, but some semp collectors will appreciate the information on how individual varieties change (or don't change) throughout the year.

I agree that with Sempervivum it's really important. One plant can change tremendously during one growing season.

I actually really like seeing multiple pictures of the same plant. It reassures me that the picture actually IS of the plant listed. If I see 8 people have submitted pictures of a plant, and the blooms look very similar in all of them, I know they were correctly labeled. I also appreciate seeing how they look in different zones and areas, and different seasons. I think the thumbs-up feature will help the best pictures "rise to the top" so to speak, so no harm done in having many others submitted as well.